'''Michael Parkes''' ([[1944]] – ) is an American-born [[Magic realism]] artist specializing in [[fantasy]] painting and [[lithography|stone lithographs]].[[Image:Angel study 1 325s.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Michael Parkes granolith:  Angel Study]] 

== Biography ==
Though he studied graphic art and painting at the University of Kansas, his unique style evolved in isolation, after a period in which he gave up the practice of art altogether and went to India in search of philosophical illumination. Born in 1944, he is considered one of [[hippie]] generation.

Early on, he painted in the generally [[Abstract expressionism|Abstract expressionist]] style common among his teachers, but after his pause for reflection he began to draw and paint in a meticulous style of detailed representation which enabled him to give full expression to his inner world of images.

The style was in principle realistic, the subject matter magical, and Magic Realism has characterised his work ever since.

He studied the esoteric doctrines of the East and the West, and his imagery is drawn from a range of wisdoms including the [[Cabalistic]] and the [[Tantra|Tantric]], but embodied in forms from his own imagination which are immediately accessible. Here strange beasts encounter mysterious winged women, good and evil fight out their immemorial conflict (though who can be perfectly sure which is which?), and in this weightless environment worlds are unmade and remade nearer to the heart's desire.

Even as a student Parkes was fascinated by various graphic processes, and in recent years he has become highly proficient in the difficult medium of the colour stone lithograph.

== See also ==
*[[Michael Whelan]]
*[[Donato Giancola]]
*[[Vladimir Kush]]
*[[Craig Mullins]]

==Further reading==
John Russell Taylor (art critic for The London Times), ''Michael Parkes: Stone Lithographs - Bronze Sculptures''

== External links ==
*[http://www.theworldofmichaelparkes.com Michael Parkes official site]
*[http://www.steltman.com Steltman Galleries, former publisher of Michael Parkes artwork]


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[[Category:1944 births|Parkes, Michael]]
[[Category:Living people|Parkes, Michael]]
[[Category:American painters|Parkes, Michael]]
[[Category:American printmakers|Parkes, Michael]]
[[Category:Fantasy artists|Parkes, Michael]]